Fanny: Being the True History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones

by Erica Jong

Book Overview

Discovered on the doorstep of a country estate in Wiltshire, England, the infant Fanny is raised to womanhood by her adoptive parents, Lord and Lady Bellars. Fanny wants to become the epic poet of the age, but her plans are dashed when she is ravished by her libertine stepfather. Fleeing to London, Fanny falls in with idealistic witches and highwaymen who teach her of worlds she never knew existed. After toiling in a London brothel that caters to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393324354
• ISBN13: 9780393324358
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

I loved this book!

I've always liked Jong, and certainly haven't read everything she's written, but I think this is my favorite of all those I have. As the last reviewer noted, this is essentially a 'corrected-by-the-real (fictional)-person' rewrite of Cleland's Fanny Hill, and is certainly more feminist. It also benefits from Jong's extensive knowledge of 18th century English literature, which she has an MA in from Columbia. I loved the plot, the wonderful characters, the humor, the sex, and the fascinating insight into a woman's life in this period.

Parody

This book is a parody of the erotic book, "Fanny Hill, or, the Memoirs of A Woman of Pleasure" by John Cleland, written in the 1700's. that's why Jong's book has such archaic words & phrases. Read them both.

Read it for what it is-sheer entertainment

I read this book when it first came out a number of years ago and I never forgot it. It's not Sophocles or Gabriel Garcia Marquez--it's just a great picarasque novel. I looked high and low to buy it for years but it had gone out of print. Finally, I discovered it at a bookstore in Sydney a couple of years ago and I was elated! Enjoy the read.

Excellent! Hilarious!

Fanny is an amazing book. It has everything: Adventure, ideas, a wonderful plot, interesting characters - and it emulates very well the 18th century novel style, without compromising on the freshness or the originality of the content. Every woman should read this book.

Adventure, Love, Lust, Horses, Witches, Travel - WOW!

This is one of my favorite books of all time. The kind you want to devour, but then you put down between chapters to savor and never want to end. It's got everything. Women's rights, motherhood, witches, thirst for knowledge, love, lust, and a story to capture your heart and imagination.